- Aug 2, 2023
- 265
- 186
- Vehicles
- 1999 4Runner SR5 5 speed manual, 2024 Land Cruiser Premium, 2017 Chevy 2500HD Duramax
I was in the Toyota Store on Thursday for the usual superior oil change / tire rotation. Most of the sales people there (Kalispell Toyota) seemed to be ok being treated like mushrooms by Toyota. No one knew anything about the 2024 Landcruiser nor did they seem to care. FWIW I am on their waiting list for the LC.It seems Toyota and dealers are expecting a significant brand premium for the LC250, and I feel isolated since I can see through the bs. I think it’s time for Toyota to offer up some facts and data on why we should be waiting for the new Land Cruiser.
Here is one example. I think it’s ridiculous Toyota can’t find a reliable electric water pump design to install on the LC250 so we can have a software controlled all electric cooling system that can be run at full capacity with the engine idling or off. An all electric cooling system would allow complete removal of the serpentine belt. This is the feature that initially got me so excited about the LC250.
There seems to be many compromises to accommodate the global architecture and bring the price down. I like a good value, but now we potentially have dealers asking over MSRP threatening to wipe out that product development investment in customer value.